Anti-slip apparatus

ABSTRACT

A film or web of rubber or the like is formed with patterns of small closely spaced vacuum cups on each of its faces. When compressed between two surfaces, both of which are smooth, the cups of the two faces grip the two respective surfaces to restrain slippage, but due to the small size of the individual cups, local release is prompt as the area of applied pressure shifts. In applications such as bathing sandal soles or baseball bat grips, aligned cups of the two faces may be vented each to each, so that vacuum release on either face of the gripping element automatically releases the other face.

United States Patent Shively [54] ANTI-SLIP APPARATUS [72] Inventor:John J. Shively, 515 E. 89th St, New

York, NY. 10028 [22] Filed: Aug. 11, 1970 21 Appl. No.: 62,817

[52] U.S. Cl ..36/8.l, 248/362 [58] Field ofSearch ..36/8.1,4, 7.4,11.5, 59R; 248/362, 363

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,910,264 10/1959Lindenberger .l ..248/362 2,075,229 3/1937 Rose ..36/8.1 X

[451 July 18, 1972 Bassichis ..36/8.l Stiller .t ..248/362 X PrimaryExaminer-Patrick D. Lawson Attorney-Eugene E. Geoffrey, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A film or web of rubber or the like is formed withpatterns of small closely spaced vacuum cups on each of its faces. Whencompressed between two surfaces, both of which are smooth, the cups ofthe two faces grip the two respective surfaces to restrain slippage, butdue to the small size of the individual cups, local release is prompt asthe area of applied pressure shifts. ln applications such as bathingsandal soles or baseball bat grips, aligned cups of the two faces may bevented each to each, so that vacuum release on either face of thegripping element automatically releases the other face.

1 Claim, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTED JIM 3 INVENTOR ANTI-SLIP APPARATUSThe present invention pertains to improvements in anti-slip apparatus,being directed to means for preventing undue displacement or slidebetween two relatively smooth surfaces.

Over a period of years, vacuum cups have been applied to a variety ofanti-slip devices, ranging from certain early automobile tire treads tomodern bath mats and sport shoe soles. However, while articles such asthe latter two types have been successful within their particularscopes, certain drawbacks inherent in the manner in which the cupprinciple has hitherto been applied have prevented realization of thelaters full potentialities as a measure of safety. For example, theusual mat having an under side layer of cups adapted to adhere to thebottom of a tub or shower bath furnishes a measure of safety, but thatmeasure is limited to the immediate stationary area of the mat itself;numerous accidents occur when bathers step from the mats to'adjacentslippery surfaces such as open tub bottoms or tile bathroom floors, thelatter either bare or protected only by such hazardous makeshifts astowels or similar readily shiftable articles. To apply a vacuum mat toevery danger spot on which a person may wish or chance to step has beentoo cumbersome for general practice; in fact, many an experiencedtraveller has been faced with accommodations having no safety matwhatever unless he has troubled to bring it himself.

The same dangerous condition occurs, often to even greater extent, inother locations such as the tile margins of swimming pools, particularlywhere children or young adults may be at play. Since, as noted above, ithas been found impractical to supply the usual stationary vacuum mats toall potential danger areas, the logical conclusion is that theprotection must be carried by the individual himself or herself in theform of footwear. Here again however, the forms of footwear hithertoavailable do not lend themselves to this purpose without interferingwith the other requirements of the user's activity, namely, quick andeasy release of the vacuum grip, together with extreme lightness, easeof putting on and removal, and minimum restraint in walking, running orswimming. These deficiencies as to the prior art have been largely dueto two related factors. In the first place, as typefied in sports shoes,the vacuum cups have been provided only on the bottoms of relativelystiff soles, so that the gripping effect by the soles is confined to theunderlying engaged surface. Secondly, the sizes of vacuum cups employedhave been relatively large, causing high localized gripping effects withcorrespondingly high energy requirements to effect release. As a resultof these factors, it has been necessary to provide comparatively heavyupper means to retain the article firmly on the wearer's foot, in orderto avoid displacement and flapping as the vacuum grip is overcome.While, as previously mentioned, the above type of structure may besuited to ordinary sport shoes and the like, it would obviously be toocumbersome for use in the field of very light and thin slip-restrainingdevices as contemplated herein.

In view of the above and related considerations, an'object of thepresent invention is to provide improved anti-slip apparatus including aflexible sheet-like element having means on both its faces for grippingboth of two surfaces between which it may be compressed.

A further object is to provide apparatus of the above nature in whichthe gripping means on each face of the sheet-like element comprises apattern of vacuum cups.

A further object is to provide an element of the above type in whicheach pattern is composed of a relatively large number of closely spacedcups of small individual dimension, so that local release of theirgripping effect is readily accomplished as pressure is withdrawntherefrom.

Another object is to provide a gripping element of the above nature inwhich the two face patterns are matched back-toback, whereby thetensional effect necessary to release a cup of either face pattern maybe supplied directly through its matching cup of the other face pattern.

A further object is to provide apparatus of the above type in which thecups on each face of the gripping element are vented to their respectivebacking cups on the other face of the element, whereby ready localrelease of the gripping effect may be facilitated.

A further object is to provide apparatus of the above nature in whichthe gripping element comprises the sole of an article of safetyfootwear.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the above nature in which thesheet-like element is formed as a sleeve adapted to serve as a non-slipgripping means for use on implements such as baseball bats and the like.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become evident duringthe course of the following description in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a flatwise or plan view of atypical gripping sheet or element embodyingthe invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlargedsectional view in the region 2--2, FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are similarly enlarged sections showing alternative detailformations of the gripping element;

FIG. 5 illustrates the application of the invention to a device forrestraining slippage between the ball of a' bathers foot and anunderlying surface;

FIG. 6 similarly shows the invention embodied in a guard for the user'sheel; I

FIG. 7 illustrates a form in which the non-slip element comprises thecomplete sole and under-heel portion of a foot appliance;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view illustrating the compression of the grippingsole element between a user's foot and an underlying surface;

FIG. 9 illustrates the ready local release of the gripping vacuum;

FIG. 10 similarly illustrates the gripping and ready release of thealternative form shown in FIG. 4, and

FIG. 11 shows the use of the invention in a non-slip grip for a baseballbat.

Referring to FIG. 1, the numeral 20 generally indicates an anti-slipelement of soft rubber or equivalent plastic material embodyingprimarily a thin web 21. A pattern of closely spaced small vacuum cups22 is formed on one face of the web 21, this face for convenience beinghereinafter termed the upper face. Referring to the enlarged typicalsections, FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that'a similar plurality ofdownwardly directed cups 23 is formed on the lower face of the web 21,the individual cups 23 being disposed in vertical alignment withrespective upwardly facing cups 22. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2,each pair of aligned cups 22 and 23 is interconnected via a centralorifice 24 which serves as a vent between them.

FIG. 5 shows the manner in which the invention is embodied in anappliance 25 adapted to prevent or effectively restrain slippage betweena smooth underlying surface and the ball of a user's foot 26. As will beseen, the anti-slip element 20 comprises the bottom portion or sole ofthe appliance, a thin over-reaching band 27 being provided to retain theappliance in proper position when the device's double gripping functionis not in process, the latter as when the foot 26 is raised in steppingor walking. Similarly, in FIG. 6, the element 20 comprises theunderlying portion of a heel guard 28, while in the form 29 shown inFIG. 7 the element 20 underlies the entire bottom surface of thewearer's foot 26. (In ordinary prior parlance, the general form shown inFIG. 7 might be referred to as a bathing slipper, but as the termanti-slip slipper would constitute an obvious ambiguity, suchnomenclature has been avoided herein.)

The manner in which the anti-slip element 20 performs its functions oflocalized clinging action and easy release is shown in greatly enlargeddetail FIGS. 8 and 9, which for example typefy the relationshipsoccurring when the user of an appliance such as those shown in FIGS. 5or 7 applies the ball of his foot 26 to an underlying slippery surface30. As the user's weight is applied the foot naturally flattenssomewhat, as shown in FIG. 8, compressing the element 20, so that thecups 22 and 23 are flattened in the area of pressure application,expelling a large part of their air or water content and therebyempowering them to exert the clinging effect characteristic of vacuumcups. It will be noted that the clinging effect is applied not only tothe underlying surface 30 by the cups 23, but also by the upper cups 22to the wearers foot 26; the latter provision prevents shifting tendencyto displacement of the device from the foot, without requirement forrelatively heavy fastening means.

FIG. 9 illustrates the easy releasing feature of the device. When astart to walk or a shifting of the wearers position causes the usualupward bending or rolling movement of the foot sole, the mechanicalpressure is released from the cups 22 and 23 in the immediate zone ofseparation, so that the respective pairs of upper and lower cups in thiszone tend to be expanded or drawn apart to release their joint clingingaction, the anti-slip effect meanwhile being maintained by the remainingcups still under pressure. During release it is immaterial whether theupper or lower cup of each pair is first drawn out of sealing engagementwith its respective adherent surface, since by provision of theconnecting orifice 24, breaking the vacuum in either cup instantlyreleases the other. Due to the small actual size of the cups,(exaggerated in FIGS. 1, 8 and 9 as noted) the extent of separationnecessary to release each pair is correspondingly small, so that thelocal resistance to release in turn is too small to cause any delayedjerking effect which could interfere with normal activity of the wearer,such as running along the margin of a swimming pool. Thus the deviceprovides slip restraint in the immediate area of pressure applicationwherein the requirement for such resistance is localized, in otherwords, only where and when needed, eliminating any necessity for largestationary mats; at the same time, the top-and-bottom clinging action ofthe cup combinations themselves allows both the web 21 and the band 27to be so thin and flexible as to cause no significant interferenceeither with ready removal and-replacement in bathing, or with swimming,walking or related activities as noted.

The anti-slip function described is brought about in the samecharacteristic manner by the heel guard appliance 28, FIG. 6, and by thecombined or full sole version 29, FIG. 7.

In the alternative form of the anti-slip element 20a, shown in FIGS. 4and 10, each pair of interconnected cups consists of a relatively largecup 31 and a matching smaller cup 32, the pattern being so arranged thatthe larger cups 31 of adjacent pairs are directed alternately upward anddownward. This embodiment may be employed in cases wherein it isdesirable to reduce the over-all thickness of the element 301: to aminimum, as illustrated in FIG. 10. The general operation is the same asthat described above, except that due to their reduced areas the smallercups 32 tend to release first, in a sense acting mainly as releasevalves for their connected larger cups 31.

FIG. 11 shows a typical use of the invention in an appliance other thanfootwear. In this example the element 20 is formed as a sheath 33adapted to be employed as a non-slip safety grip on the handle 34 of abaseball bat 35. The form of bat in present popular use incorporates ahandle portion so small in diameter that the user's often perspiringhand grip thereon can readily become insecure, a fact made evident inthe frequent accidental hurlings of bats into the ranks of spectators orplayers, with obvious danger of injury. The sheath 33, when compressedbetween the bat handle and the user's hands, provides significant innerand outer vacuum gripping effect and consequent resistance to slip inthe manner previously described; similarly, the described quick and easyvacuum release feature permits the batter to drop the bat at once after(and if) he hits the ball. Thus the device is adapted to provideprotection against dangerous slip without the use of sticky pine tar orthe like, though obviously it may be employed in conjunction therewithif desired. In addition to its anti-slip function, the resilient sleeve33 cushions the batters hands against the danger of numbing or prolongedtingling effects frequentl resulting from im erfect en agem ent of thebat with the all, for examples, w en the b I IS hit either on theextreme end of the bat or just above the handle.

In the foregoing description the diagonal rectangular pattern of cuparrangement, as shown in FIG. 1, has been taken as typical. However,obviously any other pattern such as a circular, hexagonal, or spiralarrangement, may be employed when found advantageous in a particularform of appliance. Similarly, for particular services the pattern mayinclude pairs of cups formed without direct interconnection, as shown inFIG. 3. Furthermore, it will be evident that slip-restraining advantagesof the double faced vacuum gripping means may be employed in industrialas well as household and sporting appliances. Thus, while the apparatushas been described in preferred form, it is not limited to the preciseembodiments illustrated, as various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as defined within the scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for restraining relative slippage between opposing firstand second surfaces, in combination, a thin web of resilient materialadapted to be interposed between said surfaces, a first plurality oflaterally adjacent miniature vacuum cups protruding in a closely spacedpattern from one face of said web for adherently engaging said firstsurface, a second plurality of miniature vacuum cups protruding from theother face of said web in a closely spaced pattern in direct back-tobackindividual respective relationships with said cups of said firstplurality and adapted to engage adherently said second surface incooperational alignment with said adherent engagement of said firstplurality of cups with said first surface, and means forming individualvents between cups of said first plurality and said respectiveback-to-back cups of said second plurality, and wherein each of saidback-to-back pairs of cups comprises a relatively larger and arelatively smaller cup, said relatively larger and smaller cups beingdisposed alternatively in both said protruding patterns, said relativelylarger cups occupying side-by-side relationship in their conjunctionswith said web, whereby said web and cup combination may be rendered ofminimum thickness.

1. In apparatus for restraining relative slippage between opposing firstand second surfaces, in combination, a thin web of resilient materialadapted to be interposed between said surfaces, a first plurality oflaterally adjacent miniature vacuum cups protruding in a closely spacedpattern from one face of said web for adherently engaging said firstsurface, a second plurality of miniature vacuum cups protruding from theother face of said web in a closely spaced pattern in directback-to-back individual respective relationships with said cups of saidfirst plurality and adapted to engage adherently said second surface incooperational alignment with said adherent engagement of said firstplurality of cups with said first surface, and means forming individualvents between cups of said first plurality and said respectiveback-to-back cups of said second plurality, and wherein each of saidback-to-back pairs of cups comprises a relatively larger and arelatively smaller cup, said relatively larger and smaller cups beingdisposed alternatively in both said protruding patterns, said relativelylarger cups occupying sideby-side relationship in their conjunctionswith said web, whereby said web and cup combination may be rendered ofminimum thickness.